Snow-packing machine



March 10, 1931. J SHARP 1,796,166

SNOW PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 9. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet l ATTORNEY March1 0, 193 1. SHARP 1,796,166

SNOW PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 9. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORATTORNEY March 10, 1931 A, SHARP 1,796,166

SNOW PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 9. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORATTORNEY March 10, 1931, I J SHARP 1,796,166

SNOW PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 9. 1929 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 a T Q {Zia 9.9.

ATTORNEY March 10, 1931. J A, SHARP 1,796,166

SNOW PACKING MACHINE Filed Dec. 9, 1929 5-She6tS-Sh980 5 HJL INVENTORATTO R NEY Patented Mar. 10, 1931 PATENT OFFICE JAMES A. SHARP, OFHAMILTON, NORTH DAKOTA SNOW-PACKING MACHINE Application filed December9, 1929. Serial No. 412,827.

This invention relates to snow packing machines, and has as its primaryobject to provide a means especially designed for use in localitieswhere the snow lies on the roads for B as many as five months eachwinter and where it is practically impossible to clear the roads of thesnow so that the road may be used for travel. It is true that snow plowshave been employed for the purpose of clear- 110 ing the road,temporarily of snow, by casting the snow to one side of the road or toboth sides of the road, but this only results in the accumulation ofmore snow in a very short time, and a road thus repeatedly cleared be'15 comes impassable for automobile and truck travel. In View of theforegoing the present invention hasas its primary object to provide asnow plow which will when drawn over the I road, pack the snow in such amanner that "-2 traflic may travel over the road with substantially thesame facility as though the road was not covered with snow.

In order to accomplish the results above outlined, the invention furthercontemplates 13.5 the provision of a machine of this type em- .bodying anumber of units, each performing a different function with the finalresult that the snow which is accumulated on a road surface may, asstated be so packed and :1 leveled as to permit the ready passage oftralfie thereover. I

This invention also consists in certain other features of construction,and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts,

to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, and specifically pointed out in the appended claims.

In describing my invention in detail, refer ence will be had to' theaccompanying drawings, wherein like characters denote like orcorresponding parts throughoutthe several views, and in which Figure 1is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the snow packingmachine embodying the invention.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the machine.

Figure 3 isa bottom plan View of the machine.

' Figure 4 is a vertical transverse sectional View taken substantiallyon the line 4-4 of Figure 1. 7

Figure 5 is a similar view on the line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a similar view on the line 6-6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a similar view on the line 77 of Figure 1.

Figure 8 is a similar view on the line 8-8 of Figure 1.

The mechanism of the machine is supported by runners, indicated by thenumerals 1 andthese runners are of wood and provided upon their lowercurved forward end portions with shoes 2 of strap iron to prevent wearof the runners and facilitate the passage thereof over the snow. Therunners are connected at their forward ends by a cross beam 3, and attheir rear ends by a cross beam 4, and two other cross beams 5 and 6 aremounted at their ends upon the upper sides of the runners 1 and securedthereto, and longitudinal beams 7 are secured at their ends to the undersides of the cross beams 5 and 6 and are parallel to and suitably spacedfrom the respective runners 1. The cross beam 3 constitutes means forthe attachment of draft chains or other connections whereby the machinemaybe drawn by horses.

The unit of the machine which first func- 7 tions, as the machine isdrawn overthe snow covered highway, is in the nature of a snowdistributor which comprises a wooden oblong rectangular blade, indicatedby the numeral 8, and which blade has secured to its rear side, metalplates 9 having forwardly extending wings 10 of substantially triangularform, which wings are pivotally connected by bolts 11 to the runners 1and thus support the blade 8 of the distributor, the lower edge of theblade being beveled in a rearward direction as indicated by the numeral12 and a bar 13 of metal beingsecured to the front face of the blade andextending along the lower edge thereof to prevent wear.

The numeral 14 indicates one of a number of hand levers which aremounted within a cab 15 mounted upon the longitudinal beam 16, in turnmounted upon the cross beams 5 and 6 intermediate the ends thereof. Acrank arm 17 extends from the lower end of the lever and a connectingrod 18 is connected to the rear end of the crank arm and at its lowerend to the rear side of the distributor blade 8,, at a point near theupper edge thereof, as indicated by the numeral 19. The adjustmentof-the lever l l, of course,eifectsraising or lowering movement ofthe'distributor blade 8, and this blade is designed to level the surfaceof the snow by evenly distributing the r i to impose a 'oertain'weightupon the blades same over the road surface.

The second unit of the machine is designed as a snow or crust cutter andcomprises a beam 20 which is provided with hinge members 21 at its endsconn cted to ointle dins V 23 mounted upon the lnner sides or therunners 1 and restrained against displacement by hammer straps 24:, eachof whichis likewise secured to a respective runner at one of its ends,and has its other end positioned over a pint-1e pin A number of plates25'are provided at their forward ends with right 'angularly directedattaching portions 26 which are secured to the rear side of the beam 20so that the plates, 25 are positioned in spaced parallel. relation toone another throughout the entire'seriesa A weight 27 is mounted uponthe beami20 and imposes weight on the beam so as to cause the blades 25to enter into the snow. A connecting rod 28 is connected at its lowerend to the'beam substantially. midway between the ends thereof and atits upper end is connected to one arm of an angle lever mounted uponthefront cross beam 5 and,

to the other end of this angle lever is connected a rod 30 leadingto'and-connected to another hand lever, which is indicated by thenu'meral31, and which is locatedbeside the hand lever 14 within the cab15. The lever 31 constituting means whereby the beam. and

the blades carriedthereby may be raised and lowered. The purpose of theblades is to out into the snow and loosen the same, therebydisintegrating any clods of snow which may be present upon the highway.The third unit of the machine comprises shafts-32 each of which ismounted atone endin one of the beams 7 and at its other end in therespective runner 1 mounted upon each of theseshafts are wheels 33',these wheels being preferably six in number in each series, andyprovidedwith rims or tires 34, these wheels serving to level and somewhat packthe snow which has been loosened by the blades. 25.

I The fourth unit of the machine is a snow ing curved forward endportions 40 are se curedat their forward ends to the forward another ina series located midway between the runners 1. A weight 42 is arrangedupon the upper sidegofthe platform 35 and serves 39 .to cause them topass through the snow.

"AL connecting rod 43 is connected at-its lower end to the platform 35near the rear side thereof and substantially midway between the ends ofthe platform, and is connected at its upper end to one arm 4140f anangle lever,.the other arm 45 of thesaid lever, which leveris mounted.uponthebeam 16 at the rear end thereof, having connected toit aconnecting rod 46 which extends forwardly and is connected to a handlever 47 located within the cab 15 besidethe lever 41.

The fifth unit of the plow is a rutv forming unit which follows the lastpart of themachineand this unit comprises an oblong rectangular head 48to the under side of which are secured two relatively spaced shoes 49which are made of wood and which are of substantiallyflwedge formationand which sides of each shoe and extending around the pointedxendthereof. The head 48 is COI1+ nected by chains 51 with the rear ends ofthe runners 1, and inorder that the unit may be elevated or tilted, aplate 52'is secured upon the upperside of the head 48 midway between theends thereof and a connecting link 53 is hinged at its lower end to theforward end of the plate, and is connected at its upper end to one arm55 of. an angleflever, the other arm of the angle lever, indicated bythe numeral 56,.having connected to it the rear end of a 'connecting'rod57*which extends forwardly and is connected to a'lever 58 located withinthe cab15 beside the lever 47, the angle lever 56 being mounted forrocking movement upon an upright 49 mounted upon the rear cross beam 4.The shoes 49 are spaced apart the same distance as the wheels of anautomobile and-serve toidisplace the snowtin the ruts which have been;formed by the blades 25, wheels 33, and the :blades '39.

The sixth or final ,unit of the machine con-. stitutes a reardrag,jwhich is indicated by the numeral '59 and comprises :an oblongrectangular slab of wood orironwhich is drawn over the'surface of thesnow throughthe me dium of chains 60 which are connected to theendof thedrag. and to ears 61 upon the rear ends of the runners 1. In order thatthe drag may readily pass-over the surface of the packed .snow, the dragis formed at its under and forward sides with a rounded surface,indicated by the numeral 62 and it will be observed by reference toFigure 1 that this drag is located rearwardly of the beam of the head 48carrying the shoes 49 and, by reference to Figure 2 that it is slightlylonger than the said head 48. It will be observed by reference toFigures 1 and 2 of the drawing that the rear ends of the chains 60 areconnected to eye members 63 at the forward edge of the drag andpreferably, similar eye members 64 are arranged at the rear edge of thesaid drag at the ends thereof so that the drag may be reversed, and whenthe drag is used to smooth the snow the rounded side 62 is presentedforwardly, and when it is used to level the snow and remove waves in thesurface thereof and assist in filling up holes in the road, the drag isreversed and theshoes 59 are connected to the eyes 64c and is let downwhen the drag is employed as a means for pushing the snow from the road,at which time, the chains will be preferably arranged in diagonalcrossed relation to each other. When the drag is employed to level offthe sides of the road, the chains 60 are arranged diagonally, one chainbeing secured to the rear end of the right hand runner of the machineand the other chain being secured to the other side of the right handrunner at a point several feet in advance of the rear end of saidrunner.

WVhat I claim is 1. In a snow packing machine, runners, a snowdistributing blade mounted between the runners, means operable to effectup and down adjustment of the blade, a snow and snow crust cutting unitcomprising a cross beam mounted between the runners, and a plurality ofspaced blades mounted thereon, the said beam being mounted in rear ofthe distributing blade, rotary packing wheels mounted in rear ofthe saidsnow and snow crust cutting blades, a unit for further packing the snowcomprising a platform located in rear of said packing wheels, and bladesmounted upon the underside thereof, and a rut forming unit comprising apair of spaced shoes to follow the last mentioned unit and form ruts inthe packed snow.

2. In a snow packing machine, runners, a snow distributing blade mountedbetween the runners, the said blade extending transversely between therunners, a bar extending along the blade at the lower edge thereof, thelower edge of the blade being beveled upwardly and rearwardly from thefcrwarr side of the blade, means operable to effect up and downadjustment of the blade, a snow and snow crust cutting unit comprising across beam mounted between the runners and a plurality of spaced bladesmounted thereon, the said beam being mounted in rear of the distributingblade, rotary packing wheels mounted in rear of the said snow and snowcrust cutting blades, a unit for further packrut forming unit comprisinga pair of spaced shoes to follow the last mentioned unit and form rutsin the packed snow.

, 8. In a snow packing machine, runners, a snow distributing blademounted between the runners, means operable to effect up and downadjustment of the blade, a snow and snow crustcutting unit comprising across beam mounted between the runners and a plurality of spaced bladesmounted thereon, the said beam being mounted in rear of the distributingblade, the said beam being mounted for upward and downward swingingmovement, means operable to swingingly adjust the beam, rotary packingwheels mounted in rear of the said snow and snow crust cutting blades, aunit for further packing the snow comprising a platform located in rearof said packing wheels, and blades mounted upon the underside thereof,and a rut forming unit comprising a pair of spaced shoes to follow thelast mentioned unit and form ruts in the packed snow.

4:. I11 a snow packing machine, runners, a snow distributing blademounted between the runners, means operable to effect up and downadjustment of the blade, a snow and snow crust cutting unit comprising across beam mounted between the runners and a plurality of spaced bladesmounted thereon, the said beam being mounted in rear of the distributingblade, rotary packing wheels mounted in rear of the said snow and snowcrust cutting blades, a unit for further packing the snow comprising aplatform located in rear of said packing wheels, and blades mounted uponthe under side thereof, means at the forward side of the platform,supporting the platform for upward and downward swinging movement, meansoperatively connected with the rear portion of the platform and operableto adjust the same to raise and lower the platform, and a rut formingunit comprising a pair of spaced shoes to follow the last mentioned unitand form ruts in the packed snow.

5. In a snow packing machine, runners, a

snow distributing blade mounted between the runners, means operable toeffect up and down adjustment of the blade, a snow and snow crustcutting unit comprising a cross beam mounted between the runners and aplurality I the beam, andmeans operable to tilt the said beam, thesaidmeans having connection with V i the forward portion of the beam.

'6. -na snow packing machine, runners, a snow distributing blade mountedbetween the runners, means operable to efiect up and down adjustment ofthe blade, a snow and snow crust cutting unit comprising a cross beammounted between therunners and a plurality of spaced blades mountedthereon, the said beam being mounte'd in rear of the distributing blade,rotary packing Wheels mounted inrear of the said snow and snoys erustcutting blades, a unit'for further packingthe snow comprising a platformlocated in rear of said packing Wheels, and blades mounted upon theunderside thereof, a rut V forming unit comprising a pair of spacedshoes to followtthelast mentioned unit and form ruts in the packed snow,and a rear drag comprisingan oblong slab ofwood connected with therunners to be drawn in rear of the rut forming unit.

7 Ina snow packing machine, runners, a snow distributing blademountedbetween the runners, means operable to effect up and downadjustmento-f the blade, asnow and snow crust cuttingunit comprisingacross beam mounted betWeen-the runners and a plurality of spaced bladesmounted thereon, a Weight upon the upper side :of said beam, rotarypacking Wheels mounted in rear of the said snow and, snow crust cuttingblades, a unit for further packing the snow comprisinga platform locatedin rear of said packing Wheels, a Weight upon the said platform, andblades, mounted uponlthe underside thereof, and'a rutformingunitcomprising a pair of spaced shoes to'rfollow thelastmentioned unit and formruts in the packed snow.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

' JAMES A. SHARP. V

